If it’s one thing I’m known for professionally, it’s thinking ahead to what things could happen & having a plan to pivot on the fly. Of course, this is essential working in animal hospice. Though from a practical standpoint, when we’re responsible for a pet of any health status or age it makes good sense to consider how we might navigate an unexpected situation since they can’t fend or advocate for themselves. I can’t count the number of occasions I’ve gotten a phone call from an accident scene, or the hospital from a frantic family-of-record after an unexpected event like that or a serious illness unfolds & their pets are waiting for them at home—alone.
‘You’re the first person I thought to call, Lorrie.’
I’m usually able to step in at a moment’s notice when I get a call like this to bridge the gap with short term emergency visits for the pets, but given the nature of my work, providing longer term custodial care just isn’t feasible. And yet, there are cases where a pet guardian needs that additional support.
Years ago, I’d implemented an additional layer to the framework of planning ahead for the unexpected, & it’s been evidenced to be a wise strategy. I have all of my families of record complete & sign an Emergency Companion Animal Guardianship form as I’m building their file. It allows me to coordinate transfer of physical custody to a designee who has agreed to take full responsibility for the pets & has the person’s name, address, phone number listed. This could be short or long term should the owners become ill, incapacitated, deceased—or even find themselves detained by law enforcement (yes, the latter has happened) with or without pets in the car.
Many pet guardians live alone & don’t have trusted loved ones nearby, & so this is a good option if one, regardless of life circumstances, is concerned about any of these scenarios becoming a reality.
Some members of the community might find these additional ideas to be sensible. My guidance is to fill out the document in advance, file one with the designee, keep one in your car, one at home & file one with your pet’s veterinarian.
- Some dog harnesses have a zip pocket & you could tuck a copy of the document inside that.
- Affixing a copy of the completed form to a pet’s travel carrier is also an excellent idea.
- Adding a tag on your pet’s collar that has the following stamped on it: “Should my owner be separated from me, please contact [designee’s name] at 000-000-0000”.
- Consider updating your pet’s microchip to include the designee’s contact information.
- Having a GPS-based tracking collar like Fi on your pet & ensuring the designee has access to the coordinating app could be an added measure of protection. They come in all sizes!
These suggestions aren't a panacea, but pets can’t speak for themselves. So times of crisis, every measure taken to ensure a pet’s well being is critical, as well as supporting the human-animal bond. A customizable form I created for this purpose can be found by clicking here.
With over 20 years of experience in pet care and the past 12 of those focused on animal hospice, Lorrie Shaw is a Certified Animal Hospice Practitioner, Certified Hospice and Palliative Care Advocate and Certified Fear Free Professional. She is CXO of Telos Companion Animal Services, LLC. She can be found at lorrieshaw.com.
